Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism
NEW YORK : Arsene Wenger has dismissed Jurgen Klopp's criticism of Fifa's revamped 32-team Club World Cup, calling the tournament a 'fantastic competition' and emphasising the support it has received from participating teams, players, and managers.
Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, described the expanded summer competition as 'the worst idea ever invented' in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt two weeks ago. Wenger, now Fifa's chief of global football development, countered these remarks on Thursday during a Fifa Technical Study Group (TSG) briefing in New York.
'Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I don't share Jurgen Klopp's view at all,' Wenger told reporters. 'I feel that a Club World Cup, a REAL Club World Cup was needed. If you make an inquiry today with all the clubs who were here at this competition, I'm basically sure that we have 100% of answers of people who want to do this again. So that's basically the best answer.'
Wenger also pointed to the unexpectedly high attendance figures as evidence of the competition's success. 'The decisive question is, do the fans like it? Attendance projections were low, but in reality, they were much higher. The answer is there,' he added.
The tournament has provided Fifa with a testing ground ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across North America. Wenger acknowledged that the summer heat in the US posed challenges but said Fifa has learned valuable lessons to address these issues.
'The heat in some games was a problem,' Wenger admitted. 'We tried to combat that with cooling breaks and watering the pitches during breaks. We learned a lot on that front.'
He singled out Orlando as one of the venues where pitch conditions proved difficult, though he praised the quality of natural grass pitches overall. Philadelphia's surface, he said, would serve as a benchmark for future competitions in the US.
Looking ahead, Wenger said Fifa is considering using covered stadiums in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Houston to host early matches in next year's tournaments.
He also revealed that Fifa analysts have studied the impact of heat on player performance, finding that temperatures above 35C affect high-speed running and sprints more than overall distances covered.
'Certainly next year, there will be more roofed stadiums as we have to follow the TV schedule. We are learning to be better equipped to deal with these conditions,' Wenger said.
The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup concludes on Sunday, with Paris St Germain taking on Chelsea in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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